Veneer joining machine



April 4, 1933. A. A. DENNIS 1,903,373

VENEER JOINING MACHINE Filed` Feb. 10, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l pli' h April 4, 1933. A. A. DENNIS 1,903,373

VENEER JOINING MACHINE I FiledFeb. 1o, 195o :s sneets-sheet 2 Qomeyg April 4, 1933. A. A. DENN-as VENEER JoINING MACHNE 3 SheetSfSheel', 5

Filed Feb. 1o, 195o -MM-- mv @n WM A v I ilganizations and constructions and arrange ments of elements and parts for effectivelyvv l, Patented Apr. 4, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE vmnim JoImNG- "incarna Application mea February 1o, mso. serial no. 427,401.

rllhis invention relates to a veneer joining machine. It is common practice in preparing veneers in order that a sulicient length land width thereof 'may be made to cover a surface, such as atable, desk or the like, tol

join two or more veneers, which may be of a relatively narrow width, together bringing the side edges of the veneers which are to be joined together into close and intimate 7 ous strip of paper, 3/8 to one inch in width,

and glue this tape to both veneers at each side of and lengthwise of the joint. The tape, after a veneer has'been laid on a bed for a '20 table, desk top or equivalent structure -has to be removed by a finishing process, involving the complete removal of the .tape by sanding or other equivalent operation, all of'which is expensive, while if the veneer is laid with the tape inside, even though the thickness of the tape is but a few thousandths of an inch, it provides a ridge noticeable after the table is finished. v l

The present invention isldirected to a machine for glue connecting the longitudinal edges of veneers located` in the same plane without the necessity of using any covering tape over the joint; but at the same time, if it is desired for any reason to provideveneers with which the tape is connected, the machine is available for such use. That is, it is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a veneer joining machine in which the joints may be glued 49 together without the use 'of tape connecting means, yet` the machine may alsoJie used for joining veneers togethervwith tape connecting means associated therewith.

The invention consists of many novel orattaining veneer joining, all of which may be 'fullyunderstood from a reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, -in which,

\ Fig. 1 is an end elevation ofthe veneer joining machine of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section substantially on the plane of line 2-2 0f 4. j 55 Fig. 3 is a similarfra entary vertical section substantially on t e plane of line 3 3 of Fig. 4. j

Fi 4 is a longitudinal verticalsection substantially on the plane of line 4 4 of Fig. 1. 50 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the under conveying mechanism of the machine, the mechanism for carrying the upper belts being removed and the table over which the veneers are fed shown .in dotted outline, and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view ofthe feed portion of the machine. l f- `Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction, a main supporting casing 1 is used at the upper end of whiich an overhanging horizontal arm2 is extended in a forward direction, below which is a second forwardly extending arm 3 supporting a horizontal feed table 4 over which the veneers 75 which are to be joined together are fed.

At the front end of the( upper overhangling arm 2 a vertically positioned plateA 6' is permanently secured on which a housing 7 is mounted for vertical movements through' s0l guides 8 at the ends of the plate 6 and cooperating guides9 on the rear side of the housing. A pair ofrolflers 10 with an inter-f mediate continuous groove 11 between them is mounted at each end of and within thehousing on suitable cross shafts and around the same a pair of endless belts 12 are placed the inner edges of 'which are spaced apart substantially. the distance ofthe' ,width of .the groove 11. 'Thus arr air s ace is formed, 90

and, as will later be referre to, the glued edges of the veneers lie immediately below this air space and hence no smearing of any excess glue is had. vThe pair of rollers 10 mayhave the groove provided by an inter-` posed diskv of less diameter than the rollers whereby, in a certain useof the machine as later described, the disk at 11 may be removed .and the rollers brought together lor the rollers with the grooves around them may 100 shown in Fio'. 3. Posts 14, spaced apart, ex-

tend upwardly from the upper side of the member 13, passing through lugs 15 which project forwardly from the rear side of the housing 7'. Coiled springs16 are disposed around the posts between the housing and the lugs 15 and nuts 17 thread onto the upper ends of th\posts above said supporting lugs. At the front end of the housing a vertical slotted bar 18, provided at its lower end with a horizontal inwardly extending shoe 19 having an upwardly curved forward end, is adjustably mounted by means of aset screw 20 which passes through the slot of the bar 18 and 7threads into thefront end of the housing j The housing 7 and the mechanism carried thereby is adapted to be raised above its normal operative position. For this purpose two arms 21 havin rounded or cylindrical lower ends 22 are pivotally mounted on pins 23 which'. in turn are carried by suitable bosses 23a (see Fig. projecting from the plate 6. The upper ends of the arms 21 are connected by a connecting rod 24. A bearing plate 25 is secured to the upper edge of the back of the housing 7 over the parts 22 which are located in recesses in the back plate A of `the housing and underneath the bearing plate 25 so that if the rod 24 is grasped and pulled to the right, in Fig. 4, the housing islifted.l An arc shaped bracket 26 is secured to the fixed plate 6 and has an arcuate slot 27 therein whereby a stop member 28 may be adjustably mounted at any desired position in the length of the slot 27, against which one of the arms 21 normally bears when the housing with its attached mechanism is free to move downward by gravity, stopping when the arm 21 engages against the stop 2 The distance that the lower run of the fbel s 12 is located above the upper side of the ta 1e 4 is determined by the position of the stop 28 and for different thicknesses ofveneers which may be joined on the machine the block 28 will be adjusted to different positions as is evident. e,

Attached tothe underside of the table 4 in front of the front end of the housing7 is a glue holding receptacle 29 around which is a jacket 30 for the entrance of steam or hot water thereto to maintain the glue in a hot fluid condition. A fiat disk plate 31 having a large number o-f small -perforationstherein is mounted on a horizontal shaft 32 between the sidesA of the glue receptacle 29 and extends upwardly through a slot in the table 4 directly in front of the shoe 19 and in a vertical plane coincident with the vertical plane of the grooves 11 in the rollers 10. This plate, when it is immersed in the glue, has the openings therein filled with glue so that when the plate is turned to carry said openings above the level of the glue, some glue is retained and carried in said openings and spreads over the face of the plate between the openings.

At the underside of the table 4 directly below the slot 5 I'therein a horizontal -combined supporting bar and steam receptacle 33 is disposed being permanently secured at the front end ofthe arm 3 directly below the first hollow steam receivin member 13. At both its front and rear si es it is provided with longitudinally disposed horizontal projections 34 extending nearly the full length of the member 33, through each of which at closely spaced apart points vertical rods 35 pass, the upper ends of which are forked and carry idler rollers 36. The rods with attached rollers are normally pressed upwardly by coiled springs 37, as shown in Fig. 3, until stopped by the nuts 38, 011 the lower ends of said rods, engagingl against the undersides of the projections 34. These rollers extend into the slots 5 in the table 4 and will bear against the underside of veneers passing over the table.

The front end of the member 33 is continued in a downward and widened extension 39 while the rear end is continued downwardly and to the rear in extensions 40. These extensions are divided to provide spaced apart ears between which the rollers 41, with a groove 42 between them, are mounted on suitable shafts., A pair of endless-belts 43 passes around the rollers and the upper run ofsaid belts lpasses over the upper side of the heating member 33. It will be seen that the groove 42 is directly below the previously mentioned groove 11 and serves the same purpose. Thus smearing and progressive accumulation of the glue is absolutely prevented as the excess of glue is merely carried along on the veneers and leaves the machine therewith. Obviously, such is a very material advantage as will be appreciated by those skilled in this art.

Two beveled rollers 44, one at each side of the divided front extension 39, are mounted to turn on axes located at an acute angle to the vertical and are carried by slides at 45 on the opposite sides of the ears at 39, being normally pressed upward by the springs 46, as shown in Fig. 2, to bear against the undersides of veneers fedinto the machine, and cause the veneers to be moved at theirA adjacent edges toward each other and pressed into close intimate contact with each-other.

An electric motor`47 is carried on a suitable table support at the back of the-main supporting casing 1 and through a suitable driving variable speed mechanism, indicated at48 the details of which form no part of the present invention, and throu h gearing 49, an upper shaft 50 is driven w 'ch serves to drive the shaft 51 on which the rear wheels 10 are mounted ,through an interposed 'connectingshaft 52 and universal joints 53 as `shown in Fig. 1. Likewise a shaft 54 is driven from said gearing vat the same speed and it is on the end of this` shaft that the rear rollers`41 of the-lower pairs of' rollers are mounted so thatthe belts 12 and 43 move with equal speed and mill carry veneers 54 fed into the machine at the front continuously to the rear.

Two veneers one at each side ofthe disk 31 are fed into the machine having their adjacent edges bearing against opposite sides of thel disk asthey pass the same so that the edges of the veneers are coated with glue.

-The veneers are pushed to the belts 12 and 43 and to the beveled rollers 44 the movement of the belts drawing the veneers through `the machine By reason of their engagement with the beveled rollers 44 they are moved laterally toward each other whereby the glued edgs come into contact with each other Y which a heating fluid such as steam, may be one integral flat veneer.

passedserve to quickly dry the glue and cause its setting soLthat by the time the veneers pass from the rollers and belts they are firmly joined together and in yeffect are The same machine with solid rollers and single flat belts around them, or the two 4belts brought together' at their edges, may be used to feed veneers and a tape to cover the joint, thetape riding on top of the veneers andv at both sides of the joint and being gln thereto in the usual manner except that he glue is more quickly setby reason of the heat applied.

It is of course to be understood that instead o'f or in addition to the beveled rollers 44 for bringing the glued-edges of the veneers in contact, the belts may be disposed-at an angle to each other so as'to bring the veneers in contact. Both methods of bringing thev veneers together-'are well known and either maybe used. The construction described is very practical and serviceable and with 'it the joining of veneers at their edges may be very quickly and easily performed without the use of the undesirable tape method heretofore universally used. The invention -is defined in-l the appended claims rand' is to be considered comprehensive'of [all forms y,of structure coming within their scope.

Iclaim: s v' (l. A machine of the class describedcomprising, a horizontal table having an elongated slot therein, two endless belts mounted on spaced apart rollers below said table and having the upper runs thereof located 'in said slot in the table so, asV torbe'ilush with the upper side of the table, said belts being spaced a short distance apart, heating means extending between the rollers under Athe upsovv per runs of saidbelts, a second pair of endless belts mounted over the table on spaced apart rollers with their lower runs spaced ashort distance above the `upper runs ofthe lower belt, said pair of upper belts being lengthwise space a short distance apart,

heating means above the' lower runs ofthe upper belts and extending between the 4rollers on which they aremounted,lmeans located .on the table in front of thebelts for simul- 4 'taneously gluing adjacent edges of two veof veneers may be carried by said belts over the table.

3. A construction containing the elements i,

in combination defined in claim 1, each of said upper belts being/of greater `width than the lower belts, and pressure means located alongside of and at the outer edges of said,

'flower'b/elts and adapted to exert u ward resure against veneers `fed over t et'ab e so as tofpressthe same snugly `against said upperbelts. v L4. A construction rcontaining the velements invcombinationL defined inrclaim` l, said 'rollers carrying the upper belts, and likewise, said rollers `carrying the' lower belts, each havinganannular groove. at its outerrs'ide, said groove Beingdisposed at'theinne'r/edges 'of the belts andbeing in' width substantially,

equal to the distance that the, beltsjare spaced apart.v 'y f 5. In a machine of the volass,-"described,'al

liorizontaltable having'a longitildinalslotted 't opening therein, an endless belt conveyor mounted below the table bavingthe upper run o f the belt in said v{Skitted -opeIlI-lg 'and pair of belts, and pressure means located Y.

with its-upper side ilush with the upper side of thetable, a horizontal housing mounted for vertical' adjustment above the table, an endles'sbelt within said housing having its lower run spaced a short distance from-the upper run of the lowerbelt, -manually operable means for raising said housing and the mechanism carried thereby, and adjustable stop means adapted to be secured in a fixed position in the path of movement of said manually operable meansfordetermining the lowermost position of. said housing and the belt carried thereby. 6. A machine of the class described comprising, a support, spaced apart rollers thereon, two endless belts mountedon said rollers and having the upper runs level with each other, a second pair of endless belts mountedl on spaced apart rollers with their lower runs spaced a short distance above the upper runs of the lower -belt,`said first mentioned belts being narrower than the second alongside of and at the'outer edges of said lowerl belts and adapted to exert upward pressure against the lower runs of theupper elts. Y v

7. In a machine of the class described, a

horizontal table, endless means mounted on and lengthwise of the table for grasping' and carrying two veneers over the table with adjacent edges in contact with-each other, said endless means ,being laterally spaced from the meeting edge of the veneers, and heating means disposed above and below the path of movement of the contacting edge portions of the veneers, one of said heating means being slightly spaced vertically from the meeting edge of the veneers whereby an air.

space is had therebetween.

8. A machine comprising the elements in combination'as set forth in claim 7 and having the heating means 'spaced from the veneers whereby an air space ishad both below and above the meeting edge of the veneers.

9. A glue applying apparatus comprising "last mentioned means being slightly spaced` from the common edge of the sheets of veneer and heating means above said common edge but slightly spaced therefrom whereby an airspace is had-therebetween.

`10. A veneer joining machine comprising a support, two endless belts mounted on spaced apart rollers below said support, means adapted to be cooperatively associated with the belts whereby piecesof veneer may 11. In a machine of'the class described, a

support7 means mounted on said support for grasping and carrying t'wo veneers over the support with adjacent edges in contact with each other, said means being in Contact with the veneers'at points spaced from the -juncture of the said two veneers, and heating means spaced a short distance from said juncture whereby no contact is had therewith for the purpose described. I

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ALFRED A. DENNIS. 

